Identity is how a person is perceived by both themselves and others. Combining different values, experiences, and distinguishing characteristics make up a person's identity. Intersectionality is how people are disadvantaged due to race, gender, and status, which shape their identity. This disadvantage is evident through the oppression and discrimination towards the individual and their identity. In Brent Staples' essay "Black Men in Public Spaces," we learn how appearance, a defining aspect of identity, can lead to unwarranted discrimination and trepidation. Both race and gender are two interdependent aspects of appearance within identity. The combination of race and gender both influence how the author, as well as others with the same intersectionality, …show more content…
He is seen as a threat to women as they "are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence" (Staples 5), having to be aware of the stigma that follows him constantly. As his racial appearance was maximized, Staples saw how his actual character was being minimized as he has done nothing to appear as a threat, even actively avoiding violence, "as a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken--let alone hold one to a person's throat" (Staples 2). He understood that the majority of people whom he would encounter throughout the night would not look upon him favorably. Young women would fear him, pedestrians would be wary of him, and people, in general, would be cautious of his presence. Staple describes the situations where he had to experience the maximization of his identity using onomatopoeia to help provide better imagery and sensory effects. He explains a variety of scenarios where the people around him would be wary of him; this scene is prevalent at the dark, shadowy intersections he would cross throughout the night, "elicit[ing] the thunk, thunk, thunk of the driver--black, white, male, or female--
In his article, “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples writes about his encounters with people during his nighttime walks in and around the city streets of Chicago and New York. He argues that, as a result of crimes committed by criminals of African American descent, people tend to quickly avoid him because they assume that he will likely mug them because of the color of his skin. Nevertheless, on the subject as to whether this article is an appropriate and good example of the reaction of others, it is quite obvious that this is a good example of the reaction of others, given how Brent Staples spent much of his time working in the city as a journalist, and that crime rates are high in inner city areas. However, despite the fact that this
In the article Black Men and Public Space written by Brent Staples, he shares his experience being a misconceived African American living in major cities Chicago and New York. Having generic traits of a “youngish black man- a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair” (Staples 520), he was often misunderstood for a thug; particularly when he roamed around the streets sundown. His first encounter being mistaken as a brute happened in Chicago. He turned around the corner into a rather quiet street in a neighborhood of the upper class, coincidentally walking behind a lady who was described by Staples as “white, well dressed, probably in her late twenties”. It was when she initially picked up her pace, and eventually fled on foot soon after realizing the presence of a seemingly suspicious man walking harmlessly behind her.
In the article, “Black Men in Public Places,” Brent Staples first grabs the reader by telling them about his first victim. This, “victim,” was not harmed by Staples at all, he only walked passed her at night, which made her incredibly uncomfortable and she was not the only person that had felt this way. Staples describes how people would lock their car doors when he would walk by, just because of his appearance, to them he looked the same as a mugger or rapist. Staples moved to New York, and faced the same racial profiling he did back in his hometown. Staples describes himself as shy and timid, while the people where he grew up were gang affiliated and were dying at young ages.
I feel sad for Staples; he has no purpose of hurting anybody or doing whatever incorrect. In the main paragraph, I got the sensation that the narrator had truly done somewhat criminal, as he describes the lady as his "first victim. " I suppose he was about to go into details about how he attacked or murdered her in the dark alley. Instead, he clarifies that he is a softie and I consider Staples is the victim, not the female. I believe the most remarkable act he did was to whistle Beethoven as he walked down the street.
To Staples, the author, his typical style of attiring, and his physique, being six feet two inches and black, was something unalterable. Being born like that wasn’t his choice, it just happened but to the lady that was walking in front of him perceived him as a monster because of his appearance, that in reality he wasn’t a monster. Judging from his physique, he could’ve perhaps appeared like a typical criminal but subsequently Staples states “…I was twenty-two years old, a graduate student newly arrived at the University of Chicago.” As in justifying himself by crafting it to look like he was the victim under the lady’s assumptions. For instance, the woman saw him as a threat to herself and society while, he spoke of himself as just an ordinary person, who made the audience, feel sympathetic towards him through
Staples said, “Over the years, I learned to smother the rage I felt at so often being taken for a criminal. Not to do so would surely have led to madness." "Over the years, I learned to smother the rage I felt at so often being taken for a criminal. Not to do so would surely have led to madness. " This quote shows the "rage” Staples felt form being stereotyped and discriminated against, and how he had to contain himself and cope with it, which made him irritated.
Black Men and Public Space was written by Brent Staples who is a black men and a journalist. The general subject in the essay is want to talk about racial problem. In other words, local people are afraid of black people. Another view I will mention is not all blacks are bad guys. There are two occasions which I have deep impression.
As he grew up, he experienced many more experiences such as the one he had that night in Chicago. Staples defends himself to the reader, telling them of how harmless he truly is. Although, Staples can understand why these women could be intimidated, especially in such a high poverty neighborhood. Staples looks past the discrimination, until it comes to the point where he becomes frightful. Staples is terrified of the gun violence and worried that if he makes a wrong move his life could be over.
In the article “Black Men and Public Spaces,” Brent Staples talks about black men being stereotyped as dangerous people in the society. When there is a crime a black man was always the ones that committed the crimes. Some people see all black men as the muggers, the rapist, or the murderer. When he was headed into work with a deadline story, someone mistaken him as a burglar. He didn’t have any I.D on him, so he didn’t have any way to prove who he was.
Staples noted “ My first victim was a woman...to her the youngish black man...seemed menacingly close... she disappeared into a cross street...” In this example we see Staples being avoided due to the fact that he had his hands in his pockets and was walking on the same sidewalk as a white female, and an impoverished area of a chicago neighborhood. Staples begins to grow accustomed to these sort of things since he knew stereotypes don't go away or change and we see him develop around it as he moves on with
I was surprised, embarrassed, and dismayed all at once,” he writes to admit that he’s harmless. Staples effectively persuades his readers to believe that not all black men are harmful. He wants to make more people comfortable around him and less of a negative stereotype. By acting the opposite of a thug that many [white] people make up the conclusion to be, Staples changes his behavior in a way to protect himself because he’s percieved as a thug that could potentially made him a target and a danger to those around him and to himself. Staples concludes in his essay that thugs wouldn’t be “whistling a bright, upbeat from Vivaldi’s Four
The women’s racism caused her reaction of “running in earnest,” “worried glances” and her eventual getaway, exemplifying the prejudice of a black male. He further demonstrates his “ability to alter public space” when just crossing “in front of a car stopped at a traffic light.” He hears the “thunk” of the driver locking their car regardless of them being “black, white, male, or female.” Staples understands the world is dangerous and people have the right to fear those around them, however, he continues to endure discrimination. But I am the person making those judgements.
This unfortunate stereotype is still highly prevalent today. We all read about African-American men committing crimes, we see it in the news and on social media. That goes to say, not all crimes are committed solely by black men, and black men should not be treated like criminals based off of others wrongdoings. Staples recounts the events of a night he went for a walk. On this walk, he encountered a well-dressed white woman (as he so described) who instinctively mistook him for a criminal.
That it is reality and not just a concept based off of racism. Within these anecdotes Staples uses hyperbole to create suspense and kind of overstate the real issue at hand in order to show how terrible his position truly is. Such as in the opening sentence, “My first victim was a woman - white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties…(542)”. The woman is not an actual “victim” to any physical harm. Nothing happened to her except she feared for possibly her life.
Staples moves on to state that he never became comfortable with people who crossed to the other side of the street rather than pass him (183). By providing examples of people desperately trying to distance themselves from him when he didn’t exhibit any malicious intention in his actions, Staples shows that he was misinterpreted as dangerous solely because of his physical